Araweelo News Network
Doha(ANN) Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has sent a relief delegation to Somalia, to make a needs assessment and launch a relief response for the victims of drought and civil war in the city of Galkayo.
The response would involve relief, development, and health projects for internally displaced people (IDPs), with funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
The delegation consisted of Naglaa Al-Hajj, Head of International Development, and Ezz Al-Din Al-Galal, Head of Africa Office in Doha headquarters.
The three-day visit saw meetings and talks with local authorities and community leaders of the city.
They also visited university hospitals, IDP camps, and regional office of the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) to survey the conditions on the ground and plan for the imminent relief intervention. Among the top humanitarian priorities identified during the initial assessment were food, water, and health care.
This joint initiative by QRCS and DFFD seeks to improve the complicated humanitarian situation in Somalia, with multiple health and development projects to support local hospitals.
Also, the scope of intervention would involve distribution of food packages and drilling/rehabilitation of artesian wells, in an attempt to contain the crisis.
QRCS was among the first humanitarian organizations to come to Galkayo since the recent eruption of crisis. An early survey had been conducted in November 2016.
Its presence in Somalia dates back to 2003, with significant services and health projects for the affected populations across the country, in line with optimal health and environmental standards. According to humanitarian reports, the drought and civil war between the two belligerent parts of the city have affected more than 250,000 people.
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